Dear Diary

Dear Diary...

Today was my first initiation of what is commonly known as the pinnacle of cricket in our modern world. And as I set foot into headquaters this morning, I made an important discovery, this is a place where cricket is not merely a recreational sport, but a way of life.

This of course, I feel is typified in the salutation of `Yours in cricket`, and I was not a little suprised to see those words on the poster that was displayed on one of the walls of the resception room that I waited.

Nervously, I filled in the most basic of information on the registration form I recieved from the grizzled club secretary wearing, a white and blue polo, emblazoned with CW Cricket across the pectoralis major. As I wrote down my vital statistics, I couldn`t help but ponder, `Is this the right choice?`. To leave school, in your final year to pursue a cricketing career, which, as my father used to say, was like trying to find a parking spot in a crowded shoping center carpark. `All the spots are pretty much taken` he would say, and grin wryly. Mum certainly doesn`t think its the right thing to do. Should have finished school, she said, `Gonna end up like your cousin Dave, a nothing! Is that what you want?`
I try not to think about mum.

Finally the forms are done, and I`m led out to gergeous grounds and training facilities that are available to the CW top players. Nameless faces say Hello, and the atmosphere is warm and friendly. I`m asked if I brought my kit, and if so, would I like a hit in the nets? I anwer in the affirmative. Putting on the spikes, box, gloves, pads (left one first), then the helmet, seems to take longer than usual, as I witness the quality of the cricketers in the nets beside me. One quickie, must be clocking around 140km/h I`m sure. Butterflies flutter in my stomach as I face up in on the flat well used practice turf net. `Relax!` I tell my stomach. It doesn`t.
The first ball made me realise that this is going to be a bit harder than school First XI and club U-18s. A vicious off-cutter that cut me in half and whizzed over middle before I had time to even get the feet moving. The bowler, grinned cheekly at me and said nothing. The same bowler gave me a few tips on moving in line a few balls later when he knocked my off stump out, and also said `Nice shot young`n` when a crisply struck straight drive flew past his ankles on the way out to the center square.

20 mins later, I was exhausted from just having to deal with the quality of the attack. Even so I went out and joined in a bit of fielding, and was pleased with the intensity shown by all. No lazy school kids crappin about how they want to go home rather than chase a ball to the boundary and throw back over the stumps in hot temperatures. Fielding, I`ve always believed, is a joy, and I delighted in taking part in the drills. By the end of training and after a few of my left arm chinamans, which were easily dispatched by the netting batsman, I felt pleased with the day. A litttle out of my league, sure, but I reminded myself I`m 17, and a have a long time to go a long, long way.

mate your more than welcome here if you keep up with quality stuff like that! a great read mate, i hope you become a blue! i wonder who the 140km guy was... some random Right-Arm pacer no doubt. Im Nath Patrick (Blues member) and im a fast-medium bowler and a gun bat (at number 11...). id be happy to bowl to you in the nets sometime, good luck.

Day 2

Dear Diary

Feel tired. Two days of training and I`m pulling up sore now. Too much cake over winter, but mum makes em` so good. Training was intense once more, but I`m sure it`ll seem like nothing in a few months. The quicky bowling yesterday introduced himself today, Nathan Patrick is his name. Seems like a nice guy. Didn`t stop him from claiming me about 5 times in the nets though. Wouldn`t mind playing for CW Blue, if this is the sort of spearhead they got. Got to bowl to him to, but again I think Nathan came out top on that battle too, and I wonder `Was I ever any good at bowling?`

Probably not.

After drills, we had center wicket. 4 overs bating in pairs. Not sure if my contribution of 4 runs and getting out 3 time will impress the selectors but who knows, it was a classy 3 in my opinion. Mum says I shouldn`t be sarcastic, says its unattractive. I said, `Mum don`t patronise me, if you want me to be attractive, you should have got me from a different gene pool`. She didn`t like that.

What will tomorrow bring? Another training session you can be sure of that Mr Diary. I wonder if you want it bad enough can you make it in a sporting career, or does it rely on having a huge amount of talent to draw upon. Talent or sweat or both? A stylish century, a grafted 50, or the ability to do both. I should have a motto, something like watch and learn and grow or something inspirational like that. Or maybe not...

If you want quality pace, come see the blokes at CW Red. David Kennett, Mr Wright and Dave. This season we got 207 5D wickets @ 26.66 between the 3 of us. David Kennett and Mr Wright are currently playing in the CW XI (the international side) Which shows that we have one of the best, if not the best, pace attack by far.

If you want quality pace, come see the blokes at CW Red. David Kennett, Mr Wright and Dave. This season we got 207 5D wickets @ 26.66 between the 3 of us. David Kennett and Mr Wright are currently playing in the CW XI (the international side) Which shows that we have one of the best, if not the best, pace attack by far.

/Self team promo ends.

Just dragged myself away from the competitive Table Tennis match with Kennett in the team hotel to check on what's going on in the Domestic league and what a surprise! This youngster sure has some guts, determination and a quick wit, all things that make a good cricketer.

I have to back up Dave's comments. I'm assuming your a batsman there and if you want to improve your batting come to the Reds' nets, you'll get a chance to face some quality pace, and to hit Steds out of the nets a few times.

Welcome to the cricketweb establishment and keep up the diary, I for one will be tuning in to have a read.

The color of immortality, nature and envy - you are truly a unique person. While clearly the color of nature, you also symbolize rebirth, fertility and hope in the world. On the other side of the spectrum, a natural aptitude to money with green coming to signify money and possibly even *********!

Day 3

Dear Diary

3rd day here now and things started getting interesting. The warm, friendly atmosphere of the CW domestic leauges turned darker, abiet for only a short while where a couple of players from the Reds, Blues and one Black I believe, had a few words to say to each other about the quality of each sides respective pace battery. Though I am of course far too young and inexperienced to start voicing opinions about cricketing ability of domestic stars,I was still young enough to enjoy listening to a few heated words being exchanged. It proved to cause some nostalgia for the school yard which I left only weeks ago, and I almost began to egg members of both parties. But then I realised, No Ken, that would be stupid, very stupid. Insults began to fly like, Idiot, but nothing seemed to come from it. All and all, it showed that friendly rivalry between some of the leading players of the CW domestic competition was alive and well.

Mum wasn`t impressed though when I told her about it when I got home. She said they were a bad influence and would teach me bad habits like cussing, and talking to girls.
I seriously doubt whether mum`s with it sometimes. She still cooks alright but. Thats good at least.